We recently adopted a nine month old female from a family that was moving overseas, and although she seems to be a good fit for us, there are a few things that I was hoping y'all could tell me were normal or not. I would like to know if these things are due to her age, new setting, something we can correct or need special training for. Here goes:

1) She isn't exactly aggressive with our older male, but always wants to play and is constantly mouthing his mouth, swiping him, grabbing onto his neck or collar and trying to pull on him to play. I'm not so much worried they will hurt each other because he's twice her size and he never whines, but she can be mouthy with our hands when she wants to play. If we try to pet her when she's excited she will nip. Doesn't hurt me but I worry she may accidentally hurt the kiddos.

2) The pawing. I know this is a typical breed thing but even after her nails have been trimmed, they are still mighty sharp and have left marks on us when she wants our attention.

3) Digging! I've tried to keep her active and while I'm home during the week, I take her to the dog park to play ball or long walks (at least a mile, will start running with her when she's a bit older) but it's not enough. We do something every day but I don't think its enough for her. My backyard looks like a battlefield and when it rains, oh boy. Her white coat is completely brown.

We adopted our male after he had been trained and have never had any issues with him and he was our first GSD so we have nothing to compare it to. I'm grateful that these are our only issues and nothing worse, but from what I've said do these things sound like normal behavior that will improve over time or should I seek training? She knows her basic commands and is great on walks, so I wouldn't know what kind of training to seek.

Sorry for the novel, thanks y'all!

“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”-- Groucho Marx

Happy Elsa! All this sounds totally normal, but some of it should be addressed - like teaching not to paw at you to the point that it's painful. This is why some people don't like the "Shake" command, lol.

One thing I'd be doing is removing the collars, because she'll get her teeth caught in Sigmund's. This is a horrifying experience, trust me on that! And maybe curb some of the really wild play, so your dog isn't overwhelmed by her.

Can you dedicate a specific spot for digging? That's what I did for my pup, since he liked digging so much and my yard is large enough that a big hole behind the garden isn't an issue, lol.

It sounds like she just had a good time with her previous owners: mouthing, pawing, etc. and she'll need to learn some manners with your family. Training classes are always helpful. Good luck!

Thank you! She is a really happy girl but I think Sig gets a little tired of her always wanting to play. I feel bad for his sanity more than anything. Lol. He will just stand there whole she jumps all over him, pulls on his neck, ect without batting an eye. He's ridiculously sweet and patient and maybe knows that she's still a pup. I will keep the collar off of him while he is indoors, that sounds like a good idea. As far as the backyard, its the least of my problems. Lol. We aren't the gardening type and all we have back there is a tree and grass. But she has gotten ahold of some of the kid's things and shredded them so we had to remove everything (basket the outdoor toys were in, my husband's bag of wood chips). Sigh. I just want her to be sane like Sigmund already. Lol

“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”-- Groucho Marx

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